Obviously, you all know about the war in Ukraine. In winter (February 24, 2022) with a Russian invasion of Ukraine, our lives changed. Many people suffered as well as many industries did. However, the IT sector was the first to have recovered fast. In this post, we’ve gathered the most interesting facts about the IT niche in Ukraine for those who consider outsourcing engineering services here. The fact is that many potential clients worry about the current situation and are afraid of recruiting staff here. Thus, we decided to dispel any doubts you may have.
Overview of the Ukrainian IT 2022
The IT sector is one of the most stable industries in the country. It is a potent niche that managed to pay absolutely all taxes, even being in the situation when the country established martial law. Moreover, many IT firms paid their taxes timely, and some even paid the taxes several months ahead.
On-time payments were possible due to the fact that the majority of customers expressed their will to keep cooperating with their Ukrainian vendors. In addition, almost every IT company has a business continuity plan that was immediately put into action when the war started. What did it mean? Employees were relocated to safer places in Western Ukraine or overseas. Many developers could leave for Romania, Spain, Poland, Germany, etc. So, now these specialists can continue working on the clients’ projects remotely as they actually did in Ukraine.
Read the complete guide on how to hire developers in Ukraine.
Managing issues of recruiting developers today
As you may know, Ukrainian software engineers are very proficient. Their expertise is the number-one reason for hiring them by thousands of foreign customers. The other things affecting the clients’ choice are lower costs of development, European time zone, and willingness to work for results. Today, many people worry about the current situation and are afraid of recruiting Ukrainians. Below, shortlisted, are the main risks.
Risk #1 — Instability of work
Damage to electricity supply or Internet due to the war can cause serious problems with communication at the workplace. However, IT companies manage this risk by suspending their work in offices and moving to safer places with stable Internet connections.
Risk #2 — Team composition changes
Some clients worry that people working on their projects can be mobilized to the army. But they should keep calm as only 3% of 7,000 IT workers joined the army as of April 2022, according to the Dou survey. By the way, there are four waves of mobilization in Ukraine. The first three can engage men and women with special education and military experience. The last one involves all other citizens with no age or health restrictions.
Risk # 3 — Not meeting the deadline
On-time project delivery is one of the demands clients often set up before the vendor. Even nowadays, Ukrainian vendors can guarantee completing projects on time. That is possible due to business continuity plans implemented. Traditionally, such a plan presupposes the company’s relocation, support for those who stay, security measures associated with the client’s data security and back-ups, etc.
In summary, these are the risks you can face even in peaceful times, but they are properly managed, so there’s no need to worry.
Top reasons for hiring developers in Ukraine
We’ve collected some valuable facts about the IT outsourcing sector in Ukraine.
- 200K software engineers work in Ukraine
- 100+ Fortune 500 companies have leveraged the services provided by Ukrainian vendors
- Ukrainian software engineers have experience working with well-known companies like Samsung, Siemens, eBay, Oracle, Google, etc.
- Customers of Ukrainian IT vendors come from Great Britain, the USA, and Western Europe
- Ukraine has excellent educational establishments (around 40) to teach computer science
- Developers from Ukraine have a strong background, which can range from two to five years on average
One of the major benefits of hiring Ukrainian developers is the wide range of services they provide. Here you can find not only traditional custom solutions development but also data migration services, system integration, software audit and architecture, and lots of others.
Speaking about expertise, you can find here experts in AI/ML, RPA, cloud computing, business intelligence, blockchain, etc. Before the development stage, most providers offer business analysis to discover all business logic and challenges clients might have. Based on findings, the BA team creates the specification of the future software or modules to be built. Usually, dedicated teams have expertise in many industries, which means you can easily find a team with expertise in banking software or insurtech.
Ukrainian developers are very easygoing. They speak English fluently, so customers can easily communicate not only with PMs but with all team members. It’s also possible to agree on flexible cooperation, which means you can discuss specific working schedules if your time zone differs from the European one. You can also negotiate various payment models, metrics, KPIs, and other project-related questions.
Need proficient developers? Explore IT staff augmentation services.
Tips on hiring developers in Ukraine
If you don’t know where to start hiring reliable developers, you should pay attention to our tips. Our company has prepared a useful list of tips for you.
Tip #1 — Create a list of reasons why you need developers
First off, you must clearly understand why and what kind of developers you need. Your reasons may look like a list of points. For example, “I need a Senior blockchain developer with two years of experience to scale up my in-house development team.” As you see, your reason statement may also include some details on requirements for the developer. Once you have such a list, it will be easier to find the required people.
Tip #2 — Search for developers on special platforms
You might know that there are many specific platforms to look for software engineers. Among the most popular websites are Clutch and GoodFirms. However, you can also google or browse on LinkedIn. The fact is that many companies offering dedicated teams and IT staffing have their official pages on LinkedIn. You can contact these providers directly and ask them for an introductory call.
Tip #3 — Shortlist software development vendors
You should shortlist all the candidates you selected to pick several for the interviews. So, you need to have a list of particular criteria containing your preferences as to the following:
- Company’s location
- Expertise required for your project
- Experience with specific niches
- Project management methodology
- Costs/rates of developers
- Level of English
- Guarantees concerning end date, quality, scope, etc.
- Level of developers and their seniority
- Professional and individual characteristics
- Other
As you see, you might have a long list describing what kind of specialists you would like to hire.
Tip #4 — Discuss your requirements with a potential vendor
The best way to understand if a particular provider fits your needs is to talk to them. Just discuss all the things that bother you before the project starts. Here are some recommendations:
- Be ready to discuss your project objectives
- Prepare all documentation you have
- Book some time in your calendar for strategy sessions
- Listen to the vendor carefully, and ask them to explain things if you don’t understand something
Thus, you must be well-prepared for the call with the vendor to make this call a success.
Tip #5 — Check if a potential vendor is reliable
That’s probably one of the most important factors considering the software development partner. You must trust your team and be sure they are doing the right things. So, what should be checked? Here are some critical things to discover:
- Portfolio
- Case studies similar to your project
- Security regulations
- Risk management
- Customer reviews
- Quality Assurance processes
Download this White Paper “How to choose a reliable software vendor” to learn more.
About DICEUS
DICEUS is an IT company providing custom software development and IT staffing services since 2011. We offer around 40 specific services, including mobile and web development, enterprise software engineering, cloud migration, and more. Our expertise includes artificial intelligence, robotic process automation, cloud computing, blockchain, etc. Here at DICEUS, you can quickly and seamlessly hire the required IT staff for various purposes: to accelerate your development process or to find unique expertise.
